Middle East

Donald Tusk, the Polish prime minister, said that Poland would continue to try and have a former oil industry executive, who was a senior executive, returned from the United Arab Emirates after it rejected Warsaw’s first request for extradition. According to Polish privacy laws the former chief executive officer of Orlen's Swiss unit, known only as Samer, was charged with entering into contracts which resulted in losses of $378 million for the company. It's hard to convince people in countries such as UAE, and you have to be patient. Tusk said to reporters during a press briefing that "we will...

According to LSEG data and market sources, Russia's seaborne gasoil and diesel exports dropped 5% from the previous month to 3.26 million metric tonnes due to lower production during refinery maintenance as well as strong domestic demand. In July, diesel loadings through the Russian Baltic port Primorsk - the country's largest outlet for ultra-low sulphur (ULSD) exports – totaled 1,26 million tonnes, down 11.3% daily from June. Shipping data shows that last month, the two main importers of Russian gasoil and diesel were Turkey and Brazil. The export of diesel and gasoil from Russian ports to Turkey decreased by 14%...

It would have been a bold prediction a couple of months back to claim that OPEC+ could bring back 2,5 million barrels of crude oil production per day and keep the price of oil at $70 a barrel. This is what happened, as the eight producers of the group rolled back their voluntary reductions of 2.2 million bpd by September and allowed a separate rise for the United Arab Emirates. Eight OPEC+ member countries met virtually on Sunday and agreed to increase output by 547,000 bpd in September. This is an addition to the 548,000 bpd increases for August, the...

SABIC, the Saudi chemical giant and one of the largest petrochemicals firms in the world, announced a second-quarter loss on Sunday. The company had decided to close a cracker plant in the UK as part of a restructuring during a slowdown in the industry. SABIC's net loss for the three-month period ending June 30 was 4,07 billion riyals (about $1.09 billion), a far cry from analyst expectations that it would be a profit in the amount of 504 millions riyals. The opening price of the shares was 53.8 riyals, a decline of 1.6%. SABIC, 70% owned by Saudi Aramco, has...

The oil prices were not much different on Friday, after having fallen more than 1% the previous session. Traders were digesting the impact of increased U.S. Tariffs which may slow down economic growth and reduce global fuel demand. Brent crude futures fell 7 cents or 0.1% to $71.63 per barrel at 0656 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude was down 10 Cents, or 0.14 %, to $69.16 per barrel. Brent prices will still rise by 4.9% this week, while WTI will climb by 6.4%. This is after U.S. president Donald Trump threatened earlier in the week to impose tariffs on...

Trade sources say that Asia will increase imports of U.S. West Texas intermediate crude in the fourth-quarter after Middle East oil price increased and opened arbitrage window. They said that the price gap between light-sweet U.S.WTI oil and Middle East crude benchmarks Dubai & Murban has narrowed this month due to strong demand in Asia for high-sulphur oils. WTI's Arbitrage to Asia has been open for the last week for cargoes that arrive in early November. This was stated by June Goh, senior analyst at Sparta Commodities. Sources said that U.S. oil producer Occidental sold WTI crude to Japanese refiner...

Data from oil analytics company Kpler revealed that fuel importers in California received gasoline from Saudi Arabia’s Jubail industrial port after maintenance at India's world's biggest refinery helped to open up the rare arbitrage. Kpler reports that three gasoline shipments, totaling 886,000 barrels, from Saudi Arabia's Jubail industrial port have been discharged at Southern California's Olympus terminals in the last few months. California hadn't imported fuel from Saudi Arabia since the year 2022. In 2025, about 40% of the gasoline imported by the terminal came from Jamnagar. This was because Jamnagar had a maintenance shutdown in April. Yui Torikata, Kpler's...

Covestro, a German chemicals manufacturer, missed its second-quarter sales targets on Thursday due to the impact of U.S. tariffs on prices. However, it expressed confidence that ADNOC's acquisition by Abu Dhabi would still be completed this year in spite of an EU investigation into competition. Covestro's products include foam chemicals that are used in mattresses, car seat and building insulation. The prospect of higher tariffs in the U.S. led to an oversupply in the U.S. market, especially from Asia-Pacific, which then caused a large drop in price. The company's revenue fell by 8.4% in April-June to $3.86 billion, falling short...

Moeve, the second largest oil refiner in Spain, which was formerly called Cepsa said Monday that its net profit had fallen 19% during the first half of this year, mostly due to an impact from a massive blackout of power in April in Spain, Portugal and other countries. The company's net profit dropped to 324 millions euros ($378.92 million), and earnings before interest taxes, amortization, and depreciation (EBITDA) fell by 33% compared to a year earlier to 733.92 million euros. The company said that the decline in core profit was primarily due to the costs of stopping and restarting their...

The Colombian president Gustavo Petro threatened on Tuesday to unilaterally change Glencore's contract with the government if it continued to export coal to Israel. However, the company claimed that the shipments had already stopped in accordance with a presidential order. Petro, who spoke at an event organized by the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States for CELAC on energy, said: "I'm willing to unilaterally alter the concession contract." The president warned that, if Glencore refused to comply with his order to suspend the shipment of coal from the mine, he would call on the local communities to blockade the...

The oil price barely moved on Monday, as traders watched the impact of European sanctions on Russian supply and rising production from Middle East producers. They also worried about fuel prices as tariffs weigh on global economic growth. Brent crude futures were up 5 cents at $69.33 per barrel by 0040 GMT, after closing 0.35% higher Friday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude was up 2 cents to $67.36 per barrel after a 0.30% increase in the previous session. The European Union approved Friday the 18th set of sanctions against Russia for the conflict in Ukraine. These included India's Nayara Energy...

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company announced on Wednesday that it intends to transfer its 24,9% stake in Austria's OMV AG, to its XRG Investment unit. This will be done ahead of the creation of a new chemicals company combining OMV and ADNOC companies. ADNOC bought a 24,9% stake in OMV last year from Abu Dhabi sovereign fund Mubadala without disclosing financial terms. ADNOC and OMV merged their polyolefin business earlier this year to create a chemical company with a $60 Billion enterprise value. Khaled Salmeen, CEO of ADNOC Downstream, told Khaled Salmeen in March that the merged entity Borouge Group...

China's refiners increased their processing rates in the month of July. However, strong crude oil imports from abroad and domestic production meant that there was still an excess of over half a million barrels a day (bpd). Calculations based on data from the official sources show that crude oil surplus in July dropped to 530,000 barrels per day (bpd) from 1.42million bpd. The key is that despite the drop in oil surplus, refiners will likely continue to add to their stockpiles. This will allow them the ability to reduce imports if prices increase to levels they feel are not justified....

The oil prices fell on Tuesday, as traders awaited a short-term outlook report from the U.S. Government following a bullish OPEC report on supply and demand. Brent crude futures fell 20 cents or 0.3% to $66.43 per barrel at 10:36 AM CDT (1536 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude Futures fell by 39 cents or 0.61% to $63.51. Phil Flynn is a senior analyst with Price Futures Group. He said, "We are still in a range as we await the Energy Information Administration's report this morning." Flynn stated that traders were waiting to see if EIA's report would match up...

Four trade sources reported on Monday that Indian Oil Corp had purchased 7 million barrels from the United States and Canada, as well as the Middle East. This comes at a time when U.S. president Donald Trump is intensifying his criticism of India over its purchases Russian oil. India is the largest buyer of crude oil by sea from Russia. Russia is currently under Western sanctions due to its involvement in Ukraine. Reports last week said that its main refiners stopped buying Russian oil as discounts from other suppliers shrank. Trump had threatened to impose hefty tariffs for imports of...

Indian Oil Corp. (IOC), India's largest refiner, bought 7 million barrels from United States, Canada, and Middle East crudes arriving in September via an auction, according to several sources. IOC's large purchase of spot crude comes after the arbitrage windows for U.S. oil to Asia opened, and Indian state refiners stopped buying Russian crude oil at a time when discounts were shrinking. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, has warned that countries should not purchase oil from Moscow because it is currently under sanctions for its full-scale invasion in Ukraine on February 20, 2022. The sources stated that IOC purchased 4.5...

Trade sources and LSEG data show that at least two ships loaded with Russian crude oil bound for refiners located in India were diverted due to new U.S. Sanctions. This week, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions against more than 115 Iran linked individuals, entities and ships. Some of these vessels are involved in transporting Russian crude oil. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, has warned that he will impose 100% tariffs on all oil purchases from Moscow unless Russia signs a peace agreement with Ukraine. Trade sources reported that three ships, the Aframaxes Tagor, Guanyin, and Suezmax Tassos were to...

The price of oil was stable on Thursday, as investors assessed the risks of a supply shortage amid President Donald Trump’s call for a quick resolution to the Ukraine war through additional tariffs. However, a surprising build-up in U.S. crude stock weighed on the prices. Brent crude futures September expiring on Thursday fell 10 cents or 0.1% to $73.14 per barrel at 0345 GMT. Brent's October contract, which is more active, was down 14 cents or 0.2% at $72.33. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude for September fell 5 cents or 0.1% to $69.95 per barrel. Both benchmarks closed 1% higher...

The oil price rose for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday as investors were worried about supply shortages in light of President Donald Trump’s call for a quick resolution to the conflict in Ukraine, and his threats against countries that buy Russian oil. Brent crude futures expiring on Thursday rose 27 cents or 0.4% to $73.51 per barrel at 0028 GMT. U.S. West Texas intermediate crude for September rose 37 cents or 0.5% to $70.37 per barrel. Both benchmarks closed 1% higher Wednesday. Brent's October contract, which is the most active, was up 29 cents or 0.4% at $72.76. Toshitaka...

Kuwait's Oil Minister said he is optimistic about the fundamentals of the oil market and that OPEC+'s efforts aim to achieve market balance, according to the state news agency KUNA on Tuesday. Tariq Suleiman Al-Roumi made his comments after the OPEC+ Meeting on Monday. Al-Roumi, along with other ministers of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee, met online to have a brief discussion and stress the importance of full compliance with oil agreements. KUNA reported him saying that he was "optimistic" about the fundamentals on the oil market, and that OPEC+'s efforts were aimed at energy security and the market balance....

A panel of OPEC+ members on Monday emphasized the importance of full compliance with oil production agreements, in advance of Sunday's separate meeting of eight OPEC+ member countries to decide whether or not to increase oil output for September. Online, the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC), which is composed of top energy ministers of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, as well as their allies, led by Russia convened for a brief discussion. The JMMC is a two-monthly meeting that has the authority to call a full OPEC+ meeting to discuss market developments if necessary. In a press release...

Early trading on Wednesday saw oil prices stabilize after three straight sessions of falling. A U.S.-Japan trade agreement signaled progress in tariff negotiations, and a survey showed that U.S. crude stocks fell last week indicating a stronger demand. Brent crude futures were up 33 cents or 0.48% to $68.92 per barrel at 0023 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude Futures rose 33 cents or 0.51% to $65.64 a barrel. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. had reached a deal with Japan that included a 15% tariff for U.S. imports coming from Japan. He said that Japan agreed...

The Zambian government announced on Monday that it had signed an agreement paving the way for a crude oil refinery complex and energy facility worth $1.1 billion to be built in Ndola, in the copperbelt region of the country. A government statement stated that the planned facility would process around 60,000 barrels of crude oil per day, supplying enough refined products to meet all of Southern Africa's current fuel needs and possibly allowing future exports to neighboring countries. The statement also added that the project will save millions of dollars in fuel imports annually once it is completed. Construction is...

The Iranian oil ministry's SHANA News Agency reported that the fire, which started on Saturday and killed one employee at Abadan's refinery unit, was brought under control. The operations are not affected, it was said. Shana reported that "according to preliminary technical investigations, the cause of fire was a leaking pump in Unit 70. No evidence of human intervention or sabotage has yet been observed." Firefighters from Abadan, and other nearby areas, were reported by state television. Local news agencies had earlier published videos of large flames and smoke stacks rising from a section of the refinery. The facility is...